Could they see where the elk was hit? if it was a shoulder shot then keep hunting.. a shoulder shot only ussually gets three to four inches of penetration and I have had a lot of elk bed up for long periods of time nursing and packing it full of dirt. a client of mine shot an elk the first week of Idaho archery and that elk was later taken four weeks into the season pushing 11 cows and fending off three small satellites. As a guide we have a two wound maximum after that you are done completely other wise you are takeing away from other hunters.